Pram Jam with Beth – Bubbles

Alright, we’re up. This is going to be ‘a quick blog’. As in, I will write until the baby wakes up and/or the laptop battery dies. I will admit that I am not expecting to get all of the images organised in time for publication, though I do fully intend on coming back and inserting them later. Because, that’s life. Best of intentions and all that.

Stress. We all experience it to varying degrees. Parents seem to get an extra special version of it, because ours involves responsibility for other little lives. Over the past few weeks I’ve felt especially pressured, compounded by having not.enough.hours and various combinations of health.wealth.and.(un)happiness. What to do, what to do? Blow bubbles!

The act of blowing bubbles is a known stress reliever. Something about exhaling stale air and pursed lip blowing. Google will tell you more (it has much more time than I do and hopefully you have more battery power remaining!). The pure joy that bubbles evoke from little ones can’t help but bring cheer to the rest of us. Plus, the benefits of blowing and playing with bubbles for our babies and children are numerous! Oral motor skills as well as gross and fine motor skills come into play, hand/eye coordination development and tracking skills, speech development, social development, body part identification, sensory involvement, mathematical development, and much more. Remember to be aware of soapiness in bubbles and take care around bubba’s eyes and mouth.

We seem to have a few books in our Junior Kindy collection which touch on the bubbles theme, but mostly in connection to baths and though at our house we *do* have bubbles in the bath, more often we’re blowing bubbles in the lounge room, or the kitchen. Or on the trampoline in the garden. I am so glad that we chose the trampoline that can handle a full grown adult, I reckon the combination of bouncing and bubbles just can’t possibly be beaten for inducing giggles all round! The best bubble theme book that I have come across is definitely Bubble Trouble / Margaret Mahy and Polly Dunbar. This one is a bit of a tongue twister, I probably will not use it for a Pram Jam session as such but it’s definitely a great option for at home!

You can find bubble mix in most supermarkets or department store toy sections, but you can also make your own at home from a simple mixture of dish washing detergent, water and a little glycerine (ask at the pharmacy or check the health care aisle of your bigger supermarkets). Making your own mixture is great but don’t hesitate to buy a premade bottle and refill it as needed, those included bubble blower wands are handy for when the creative energy won’t stretch to something as wonderous as customised handmade bubble wands (but wow!).

And the songs! There are so many to choose from, but here’s a taster:

Expect to see bubbles at a Pram Jam near you SOON! (Or at the very least at Coolbellup Library on Mondays, I am hopeful that the other presenters will embrace the bubbles as well 😉 ) Let me know in the comments section if you have come across any bubble books that your baby loves or if you have a great bubble recipe to share.

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About The Author

I present the Pram Jam sessions at Coolbellup Library on Mondays and Spearwood Library on Thursdays during school terms. I have worked with Cockburn Libraries since 2003 (with a few breaks here and there to look after my brood of boys). I have a special interest in early childhood development and the practice of attachment parenting - if you are curious I can always point you towards my favourite books in the parenting collection.